Some of Scotland's finest writers are to be asked by the SNP to apply a dash of literary magic to its much-anticipated white paper on independence in November. Senior party figures have already put the novelist William McIlvanney at the top of their list.

In an interview with the Observer, Alex Salmond said: "I believe in this document and I also believe in its importance for the Scottish people and people beyond our shores. I want it to resonate down through the ages."

Scotland's first minister is a great admirer of McIlvanney, the 77-year-old novelist and poet, and enjoys reciting his favourite line – from the opening of the second in McIlvanney's acclaimed Laidlaw trilogy: "It was Glasgow on a Friday night, the city of the stare."

Scottish novelist and historian Allan Massie wrote recently: "William McIlvanney is the best Scottish novelist of his generation. The Laidlaw trilogy is one of the finest things in modern fiction, in the Chandler and Simenon class."

Alan Taylor, editor of the Scottish Review of Books, also welcomed the plan: "If William McIlvanney were to help write the white paper, it would be a great idea. No writer better understands modern Scotland. Who knows, if this idea caught on and more political documents were given this treatment, surely the world would be a better place."

English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley referred to poets' political potential when he wrote, in his 1821 essay In Defence of Poetry: "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world."

A Scottish government source said: "The independence white paper will be one of the most important documents in Scottish history, arguably the most significant since the Declaration of Arbroath [the 14th-century manifesto affirming Scottish independence].

"Inevitably, the document will be long, informative and redolent of civil service expertise and attention to detail. However, there should also be a precis or interpretation, written for the people and designed to capture the imagination. It would seem appropriate to see this composed by one of Scotland's great literary talents. To win independence we need prose to inform, but also poetry to inspire."

In a wide-ranging interview, Salmond also revealed that he had asked Muirfield golf club to reconsider its notorious ban on female members, but had received a reply simply stating that "the secretary is on holiday".

The club hosts the 142nd Open golf championship this week, and Salmond says his conscience will not allow him to accept his annual invitation.

"I believe, though," he said, "that Muirfield will change this rule, maybe not tomorrow or next month or next year, but it will happen."